Family Finds The Strangest Animal Living Under Their Porch

[catbyte]

Nope, that's not a raccoon 😱

By Caitlin Jill Anders

In September, Ben Crane and his family were hanging out at home in England when they suddenly noticed an animal hanging out under their deck. As the weeks went by, the animal stayed under the deck, coming and going as he pleased — and each time the family laid eyes on him, they still couldn’t figure out what kind of animal he was.

“We thought it could be a badger or silver fox. However, having seen it a couple of times an evening and the strange noises it was making, we were intrigued to find out what this could be as we have never seen anything like this before,” Crane said in a press release.



Finally, the animal wandered out into the family’s backyard during the day, and stayed still long enough for Crane to snap a photo of the strange visitor. After sending the image around and doing some Googling, the family realized that the animal who had taken up residence under their deck was actually a raccoon dog.

Raccoon dogs, also known as tanukis, are native to East Asia but often end up being bought as exotic pets. Raccoon dogs are wild animals and do not make good pets, as they need a lot of space and resources that they can only get from living in the wild.

snip






https://www.thedodo.com/in-the-wild/family-finds-raccoon-dog-under-deck
--------------------------------------------------------------
He's been taken to a sanctuary where he is receiving the proper care he needs. I didn't even realize there was such a creature as a raccoon dog. He's beautiful.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

1. Well, there are stories floating about in the deep South....

about such carryin' on out behind the woodshed......

[quickesst]

2. Turn about being fair play...

....the jackalope originated in the North.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

3. Lordy.

.........

We of course won't discuss Bigfoot out West.......

[quickesst]

4. Haha...

Of course not, and I won't mention the Jersey Devil in the East either.

[Hotler]

13. Daaaaaaaaaad always said

pay no attention to what goes on back there.

[Major Nikon]

5. Looks like a trash panda by another name

[KT2000]

6. OSCAR!!!

[Corgigal]

7. Hahaha

Holy shit, good times. We old timers.

[PunkinPi]

10. lol...

that was a hilarious DU mega thread

[DFW]

8. I didn't know Sredni Vashtar had a cousin in the UK n/t

[pansypoo53219]

9. i knew immediately it was a raccoon dog. can't remember w/ web site had them.

but i went straight to wiki.

[zanana1]

11. It's cruel to breed animals that way.

The short-legged cats are another example.

[catbyte]

12. They are wild, naturally-occuring animals. It was either illegally bred or captured in the wild.

What the heck is a tanuki? 8 things you didn't know about raccoon dogs

Native to East Asia, raccoon dogs (also known as a "tanuki" ) are frequently misunderstood animals that serve as major cultural icons in Japan.

Intrigued by their bushy fur, soft eyes and gentle disposition? We've put together a crash course that will get you up to speed on everything you need to know about these adorable creatures.

snip



https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/what-the-heck-is-a-tanuki-8-things-you-didnt-know-about-raccoon-dogs